Adding an international flavor to its "Friday Night Fights" series,  ESPN presented an action packed twin bill headlined by a fighter from Mexico, Russia, Korea and a lone American. Although the fighters in the co-main events lacked household name recognition, they nevertheless provided an exciting evening of boxing. At evening's end, the performance of the two winners may have earned them the viewers' respect and the name recognition they deserve.

A pair of Light Welterweights opened the show as unbeaten Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia (14-0 with 9 KOs) faced Mexico’s  Javier Jauregui (53-16 with 36 KOs) in a scheduled 10-rounder.

In the opening stanza, Provodnikov attempted to establish his strength and superiority with a steady barrage of power punching aimed mostly at his opponent’s body.  The 36-year-old veteran Jauregui,  a former world champion in the Lightweight and Light Welterweight divisions,  could not match the 26-year-old Russian’s punch output and power.

Realizing that his opponent was younger, stronger and faster,  the wily veteran was content on laying on the ropes and trying to counter punch, relying on the experience he gained in his 22-year career.

The rest of the rounds followed the same script with the unbeaten Provodnikov landing vicious combinations to both the body and head,  and the former champion in survival mode trying to counter.  It was apparent that Jauregui was hindered by being in less than optimum condition, as he looked a little “rotund” around the midsection which probably affected his lack of speed and endurance.

Only in the seventh round did Jauregui have some success, landing some effective punches that scored points but did not have much impact on his opponent.

In the eight round, Provodnikov started very fast and landed repeatedly with very hard combinations on his wobbly opponent.  With Jauregui taking some vicious punches while leaning on the ropes without offering any opposition,  referee Jack Reiss wisely stopped the action at 2:10 of the round declaring Ruslan Provodnikov the TKO winner.

The victory not only raised the Russian’s record to 15-0 with 10 KOs, it also established him as a fighter worth watching in the Light Welterweight division.

The co-main event featured the only American,  Tyrone “Fist of Fury” Harris of Lansing Michigan (24-5 with 16 KOs),  facing  Ji-Hoon Kim of Goyang City, Korea (19-5 with 16 KOs) in a 10-round Super Featherweight division.

The bout was a slugfest from the opening bell, as the shorter Harris charged across the ring and surprised Kim with a strong body attack.  The Korean, with 16 KOs in his 19 wins, showed why he is nicknamed  “The Volcano” by countering Harris with his own heavy punches and not backing down. 

With Ji-Hoon Kim in the midst of a 12 bout winning streak with all but one win ending in a knockout,  and Harris coming off an impressive 8-round stoppage of highly regarded Mexican Marvin Quintero,  it was clear the furious pace would lead to an early exit for one of the fighters.   For the next few rounds, the fight continued at a non-stop pace, with both fighters landing thunderous punches and neither backing down.

The Korean began to impose his will on Harris in the fourth round, and his powerful body attack quickly turned the tide in his favor.  By round’s end,  Harris had slowed considerably due to the pounding he had taken, mostly while he laid on the ropes. He returned to his corner with a cut on his right eye bleeding, courtesy of Kim’s powerful left jab.

Sensing that the Michigan native appeared on the verge of being stopped,  “The Volcano” Kim erupted with a terrific left hook to the body and a follow-up right to the head that dropped a hurt Harris to the canvas.  After taking the mandatory 8-count,  a bleeding Harris was hit with a vicious 6-punch combination while defenseless on the ropes.

Referee Wayne Hepgpeth quickly stepped between the fighters and called a halt to the action at 1:52 of the round making the Korean a 5th round TKO winner.

With his consecutive winning streak now at 13 with all but one by stoppage,  Ji-Hoon Kim displayed terrific punching power, a sturdy chin and good boxing skills to become a serious threat in the division.

All Super Featherweights beware of the name and the inevitable volcanic eruption,  Korea’s  Ji-Hoon Kim, "The Volcano."

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2-14-2010